It was 1990 when Jeff Burch crossed paths with Pascal Marchand in the cellars of Domaine Comte Armand in Pommard. A fast friendship quickly formed, with passion for Pinot Noir as its foundation. A decade later they embraced the possibilities of a unique collaboration, and began the Marchand & Burch Collection. Since 2007 Marchand & Burch has grown to represent a sophisticated expression of terroir through fine wines produced in Western Australia’s Great Southern region and the Côte d’Or in Burgundy, France. Three decades on, the friendship endures while the wines tell an exciting, evolving story.
From the new world to the old…
Born in Montreal, Quebec, Pascal Marchand’s desire from an early age to see the world was manifested by joining the Canadian Merchant Marines and subsequent independent travel in Greece, Italy and France. The impressions gained on this journey through the cradle of civilisation fired his passion for the vine and an appreciation of its profound role in the development of our society and culture.
Pascal’s first experience in Burgundy came through an exchange program to work the 1983 harvest. During this time he was mentored by some of the greatest winemakers of his generation. His dedication and talent, underscored by a simple approach, “to observe the nature, understand the terroir, respect the environment and control the yields” has served him well. While thoroughly immersed in the fabric of Burgundy, Pascal has maintained a global outlook and desire to unlock the potential of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay in exotic and emerging wine regions.
…And back again
An interest in wine cultivated by his father and fostered by his first-hand observations of the emergence of world class red wines from Margaret River in the 1980’s resulted in a life-changing transition from businessman to vigneron for Jeff Burch. His intense curiosity and can-do attitude inevitably led to his partnership in Howard Park Wines and its evolution over three decades into a renowned and respected family wine company, with deep roots in both Margaret River and the Great Southern regions.
A passion for the wines of Burgundy took him to the source, and a chance encounter with Pascal at Domaine Comte Armand in Pommard evolved into a meeting of hearts and minds, which sowed the seeds for their great adventure. As the guardian of their Australian legacy, Jeff will not be satisfied until he has turned over every stone in the quest to make profound Pinot Noir and Chardonnay from the Mount Barrow vineyard he established in Mount Barker in 2005, and other special sites in the Great Southern of Western Australia.
